Coraline

The story:
One day, Coraline Jones opens a locked door inside her parent’s apartment and enters a world where she has another, oddly different, set of parents waiting for her. At first it’s wonderful, but it quickly becomes apparent that her other mother has no intention of letting her go. Coraline must use all her ingenuity and imagination to free the other children that have been trapped in there and rescue her real parents from this strange world and its evil ruler.

Technique and plot:
Wonderfully written in the flowing lyrical style that made Stardust such a joy to read.
The story is simple but good and everything is very matter-of-fact, which is why the dark subject matter never becomes too scary.
Coraline is a very practical child, unlike the very silly Alice from Alice in Wonderland, to which this book has been likened by reviewers.

Rating:
A wonderful, scary story for children that is destined to become a classic. 5 stars.